HANDLEY CROSS; OR, MR. JORROCK'S HUNT

London: Bradbury and Evans, 1854. First Edition, First Issue with the words "Illustrious Leech" in the Preface. Illustrated with an engraved title-page and 17 hand-coloured plates by John Leech, and 84 wood engraings also by Leech. 8vo, bound by Riviere of England in full crimson calf, the spine with raised bands gilt stopped, the compartments with elaborate gilt tooling of hunting scenes and floral borders, lettered in gilt in two compartments, the covers with double gilt fillet rules, edges gilt tooled, elaborate gilt turnovers, marbled endleaves, top edge gilt. viii, [2], 550 pp. A handsome copy in a very pleasing binding, all in good order, the hinges strong and tight, the text-block and plates all well preserved. FIRST EDITION, HANDCOLOURED PLATES BY JOHN LEECH. A nineteenth century comic classic that centres on the adventures of John Jorrocks, an eccentric grocer turned Master of Fox Hounds. Coloured steel engravings and woodcuts by the renowned Victorian book illustrator, John Leech, enliven this edition. It originally appeared in serial form in monthly parts (also in The New Sporting Magazine) between March 1838 and August 1839, and was then published in its entirety in three volumes by Henry Colburn in 1843. That unillustrated version was greatly improved upon with the addition of plates and illustrations by John Leech as found here.